Saints Raffling Off Super Bowl Ring

New Orleans Saint's quaterback Drew Brees, left, visits the International Bird Rescue Research Center June 8, 2010 in Buras, La., where Brown pelicans and other rescued birds are cleaned of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Brees and his teammates peered into the pens holding the pelicans and could hardly believe what they saw.

"We saw a bird just completely covered in oil," Brees said. "We saw areas where the birds are recovering and where they nurse them back to health.

"It's tough to see, hard to see, especially when you know this is their home and habitat," he added.

Hundreds of locals turned out for the event, during which Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal also spoke, pleading still for more help to clear the Gulf of oil.

"The Saints are a living testament to why we believe in comebacks and to why we know victory can be born out of hard work and even after years of setbacks and losses," Jindal said. "After 43 long years, the New Orleans Saints persevered through great odds and won their first ever Super Bowl."

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Others, simply there to see their state's team, waited in long lines for autographs and photographs with the players.

Running back Reggie Bush also attended the event, saying he was shocked at the condition of many of the birds.

Winner to be Announced at Season Opener

"It's pretty devastating how much this is affecting our wildlife," Bush said. "We're here to hopefully bring awareness to what's going on so we can help."

Each raffle ticket will cost $2, with a minimum purchase of $10 dollars. The winner of the authentic ring will be announced at the team's season opener against the Minnesota Vikings Sept. 9, Brees said.